Bloodstains
by haeleigh
Summary: Campbell Saunders served his suspension and now his mind is collapsing on itself. Zig is touching Maya's back and there's a gun in the front pocket of his backpack. How far is too far?
1. Campbell Saunders

Cam rolled over on his side, opening his eyes slowly, trying to focus on his Toronto Maple Leafs alarm clock, which was blaring as its hands pointed perfectly at 7 o'clock. He turned off the beeping with a lazy slap of his hand and immediately closed his eyes again. He didn't want to get out of bed and face daylight or Maya or the smug look on Zig Novak's stupid but hopefully still bruised face.

It was going to be his first day back at Degrassi after a two-week suspension. In those 14 days he had tried to see Maya, as often as possible, but after her parents heard about the fight he'd had with Zig, they didn't want her to see him. Cam had snuck in a few kisses and outings in that time but just knowing that she had gotten to see Zig everyday at school made his blood boil.

Anger was about the only feeling he had lately. He hated not seeing his girlfriend and he hated the thought of Zig and he hated hockey. "Campbell, you're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up," yelled his host mom from somewhere down the hall. Cam also hated not seeing his real family everyday, around the breakfast table, fighting over the biggest pancake with the most chocolate chips, as it should be, not with his bland, All-Bran-eating host parents.

Cam grumbled and pulled himself out of bed, letting his faded blankets fall to the floor. He tried to flatten his bedhead but it was persistent on sticking up in all directions. He already felt another bad day coming on and when he grabbed his phone to see a single text from Zig and not Maya, his heart dropped.

**ZIG: Can't wait to see you at school today Saunders, and to see **

**your face when you see how well me and Maya are **

**getting along without you.**

Cam clenched his jaw as he read the message then threw his phone as hard as he could at the wall above his bed. The screen cracked and shards fell daintily onto his hockey puck shaped pillow.

He pulled on some jeans and opted to wear the t-shirt he'd slept in. Grabbing a dark green hoodie off the computer chair at the foot of his bed, he stomped out of his room and nodded at his host dad who was standing at the kitchen island with a carton of milk to pour into the All-Bran that was undoubtedly in the ceramic bowl in front of him. Cam slipped around the corner to the foyer where he shoved his feet into his worn sneakers. He grasped the doorknob but before he turned it he caught a glimpse of his host dad's work belt. It was complete with everything a beat cop might need – baton, handcuffs, flashlight… and a gun.

_Can't wait to see you at school today Saunders and to see your face when you see how well me and Maya are getting along without you._ The text message flashed before Cam's eyes, along with pitying look Maya gave him every time he'd seen her over the past two weeks, and the angry glares he'd gotten from Dallas and Luke and Owen and all the other guys on the hockey team who had rided him until no end and then felt they had the right to be mad at him for not wanting to play hockey.

He slipped the handgun out of its holder on the belt and into the front pocket of his backpack before heading out the door, which slammed closed behind him.

The bus ride to school was hell. A couple guys from the team got on at the stop after his and made sure to spit "rookie" his way and give a good kick to the side of his seat.

The brakes of the bus screeched, announcing its arrival at the school. Cam piled off the bus with the other teenagers and was caught up in a sudden hug. He caught a glimpse of her blonde hair and sighed then squeezed the beautiful girl in his arms back. "Hi Cheesy," Maya said happily, "welcome back!"

They pulled away from each other but remained holding hands and walked up towards the school. Cam was about to tell her about his horrible weekend without her but was interrupted by Mo. "Hey Maya, quick WhisperHug meeting, right now."

"Kay." Maya let go of Cam's hand and joined the other four members of her band. She turned back towards Cam and said, "See you later boyfriend, have a good day." As she turned to chatter to Adam about something, Zig turned to smirk at Cam then placed a hand on Maya's shoulder. Cam watched, his hands balled into fists when his girlfriend didn't protest.

He walked under the looming sign that read _Degrassi_, all alone and with the gun feeling heavy in his backpack and in his mind.


	2. Tori Santamaria

Adding a second coat of pink gloss to her lips, Tori waited for the first bell to ring. She stared in the mirror and cocked her head slightly. She adjusted an unruly curl and smoothed her collar before turning to the slightly messy shelves in her locker. She sifted through her textbooks on the top shelf, searching for her pink and orange striped notebook.

"Hey Tori," chimed Maya, as she walked by with Zig and the other members of WhisperHug. Tori turned in time to offer a wave to her best girl friend and then turned back to her locker. She spotted the notebook she needed for her first period. Tori technically had social studies with Mr. Perino but he was allowing her to work in the library this morning because she was behind in his class and needed to catch up before the test that the rest of the class was taking today. He usually would have made her take the test anyway but she had practically begged and Tori guessed he wasn't in the mood to argue when she'd asked.

She was about to select a cupcake shaped eraser when someone bumped into her from behind. Tori smiled when she turned to find Tristan with his West Drive binder in his arms. "Hey girlfriend, how was your Sunday?"

"Meh… can't complain." She shrugged and turned to face the mirror in her locker. "You think this lip colour goes with my sweater or should I run to the bathroom and switch to my peach one with the glitter?"

Tristan rolled his eyes at her. "Tor, you look flawless as always… But what do you think of my hair? I'm skipping math this morning to go meet Fab in the weight room."

"You look fine."

"I better because I think we're really getting somewhere and if I can nail this yoga pose I've been working on I might just get that kiss that I've been waiting for," Tristan talked on but Tori's eyes fell upon Cam. He stood at his locker across the hallway, grasping the door of it with white knuckles. For someone who finally got to return to school and see his girlfriend he looked pretty angry.

The bell rang, pulling Tori from her trance. "Well, I better make a pit stop in the little boys' room to fix my hair and spritz on something sweet smelling before I see my soon-to-be boyfriend." Tristan blew Tori a kiss before offering her a quick, "Love ya!" She watched as he practically skipped down the hallway.

Tori reached into her locker and grabbed a pencil to slide into the coil of her math notebook. She closed her lock and turned to find Cam still at his locker. He hadn't put his backpack away and seemed to be studying the scattered students still in the hallway, scurrying to reach their first class on time.

Tori walked by him, and just before she ducked into the silent library, she saw him reaching into the front pocket of his red backpack.


	3. Clare Edwards

Clare Edwards pulled her lips away from Eli's slowly. She could already feel the smirk forming on his lips. She sighed happily, staring into his green eyes. "And what will you be doing on your spare this morning mister?"

"Oh, I don't know, making out with my beautiful girlfriend in an abandoned classroom, perhaps?"

Clare rolled her eyes at him. "You wish, but I have to finish a history paper and then make up some campaign posters and –"

"Okay, okay, I should start going over some of my Zombie movie footage anyway… and maybe thinking of a title other than _Zombie Movie_," Eli said, cutting off his busy girlfriend.

Clare smiled. She loved having the same spare period as Eli. It allowed them to occasionally go for an early lunch together, or give them extra time to edit each other's work, or yes, sometimes make out in empty rooms or hallways, but she was also glad he didn't mind spending the hour apart.

"I'll see you in an hour then, at our _shared_ locker," Clare said cheerfully and gave him a crinkled smile. He grabbed both of her hands and pulled her in close to give her a kiss goodbye but she turned her head just in time and his lips brushed her cheek. She carefully unlocked her fingers from his and smirked before leaving him behind and walking down the hallway towards the empty computer lab.

Along the way, she passed a boy staring into his messy locker, particularly at a photo held up by a piece of hockey tape of Katie's younger sister. Clare had heard that Maya had a boyfriend from Katie and that he had been suspended for giving another kid a black eye from Adam. Apparently Maya only ever talked about her boyfriend during WhisperHug rehearsals.

Clare reached the computer lab and set out her ancient-looking textbook, it suited it's subject of history, and unraveled the headphones from her iPod before realizing she had forgotten her USB with the first half of her essay on it. She stood up and smoothed out her navy blazer before heading out into the hall to return to her locker and dig the USB from her bag.

When she turned the second last corner before reaching her locker, Clare found the boy she'd noticed on her way to the computer lab, still just standing and staring at the photo of Maya. She was about to just walk by again but he turned to look at her and Clare noticed the tears that had welled up in his eyes.

"Uh hey, you alright?" she asked politely.

He nodded in return.

"Well, I hate to nag but aren't you in grade nine? Shouldn't you have a class right now?"

The boy's shoulders slumped a little before he mumbled, "Ten."

Clare glanced around the hallway then took a step towards him. "Well… grade tens still don't have spare blocks, you probably shouldn't be missing your class… it's not good to fall behind."

"I don't feel like it," he said, before a tear escaped his eyelid and streaked down his cheek.

"You should go home then," Clare said softly.

Maya's boyfriend slammed his hand against the locker next to his and yelled, "I'm tired of people telling me to leave!"

Clare took a step back, her eyes widening. "I-I didn't say… I just meant you could go home, if you didn't feel well."

"I'M FINE!" Clare watched as he reached into his locker and heard the unmistakable sound of metal clinking against metal. She looked down at her feet, unsure of what she could say next. When she decided to try to console him one last time, she looked up to find the tenth grader pointing a gun in her direction.

Clare stood completely shocked. "Oh, I – You –"

"DON'T TELL ME TO LEAVE! DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I'VE BEEN A GOOD BOYFRIEND… I have…"

Clare started to open her mouth but Maya's boyfriend had pure rage in his eyes and squeezed the trigger.

Hot pain seared in Clare stomach and she felt her head hit the floor of the school before she knew she was falling. Her hands found the pain and she tried to push against the wound. A screen of white from the pain blinded her eyes but she could hear the slap of her shooter's feet as he ran away from her down the hallway.

Blood leaked through the cracks in her fingers and pooled on the floor. It spread around Clare's body and mixed with her curls that were sprawled across the ground.

She tried to yell for help but the words wouldn't come out. All that came to her mind was Eli's kiss, hot on her cheek, and not her lips.


	4. Marisol Lewis

"Mine!" yelled Marisol, jumping to meet the volleyball that flew towards her and setting it back up into the air for her best friend, Katie, to spike over the net. The two high-fived when the six girls on the other side of the net, including Bianca, failed to prevent it from hitting the gym floor on the other side.

Mr. Armstrong blew his whistle to gain the attention of the senior girls' P.E. class. "Okay everybody, that was game point. Good work, ladies! Now, I think we should –" A bang rang out and rattled the gym. Marisol looked around at her classmates, and then looked back to her teacher whom was rolling his eyes. "Why is the gym so close to the shop?" he mumbled before heading out into the hall to close the external doors.

Marisol skipped over to Katie. "So, you wanna go to the mall after school? There's this sale at _Pretty, Pretty_ and I've had my eye on this little black number."

Katie rolled her eyes at her friend and replied, "I'll go but _don't_ let me buy anything! I've got to keep saving every penny if I have any chance at affording Stanford in the fall."

The gym doors flew open and Marisol's teacher came running into the room and shouting, "Everyone into the change room, c'mon, let's go!" The panic in his eyes was enough to make sure there were no protests.

Marisol followed the others into the small room that was clouded with the smell of a class full of girls' different perfumes. Everybody was talking at once about what Mr. Armstrong looked so scared about. He hadn't followed them into the room but instead ran back into the hallway, yelling at the girls to lock the change room behind them and to stay put.

"What do you thinks going on?" Katie asked Marisol quietly as they sat down on a bench at the far side of the room.

Marisol shrugged at her friend and replied, "It just sounded like a truck in shop faltered or whatever."

"Or a gun," Bianca DeSousa said, daring to sit down on their bench.

Marisol and Katie rolled their eyes at her. "You would know, wouldn't you, Bad News Bianca?" Marisol said pointedly at the girl.

"Whatever." Bianca scowled and stood up from the bench. Marisol watched her strut over to Fiona and Imogen who were sitting at a bench nearer to the change room entrance.

Marisol looked to Katie who was adjusting the brace on her knee. "Your face is pretty white Matlin."

"You don't really think it was a gunshot, do you?"

Marisol smiled at her friend. "Doubt it, I'm just glad to be finished playing. I am completely tired after running around town all weekend. Trying to find last minute sponsors for grad is tough work."

Katie nodded slightly and started to retie her shoe.

Marisol pulled her fuchsia gym bag from underneath the bench and pulled her iPhone from the side pocket. She checked the time to find there was still half an hour left of class. She hoped that Mr. Armstrong would get whatever it was cleared up so she didn't have to suffer through Fiona and Bianca's rude looks from across the room the whole time.

She scrolled through her top contacts and selected Mo's name.

**MARISOL: Hey babe, how's skipping with Jake? I'm stuck**

**in the girl's change room, something has Armstrong **

**worried.**

She almost pressed send before adding two words to her text.

**Stay safe.**

Marisol tucked her phone back into her bag and continued to dig in it for something to do. There wasn't much other than some deodorant, a pack of gum, and the few odd hair elastics. She was about to reach for the gum when a loud sound over the intercom startled her.

The intruder alert signal boomed throughout the change room. Marisol had heard it before; the school had a practice every year for the last four years she had been attending Degrassi.

The change room went silent. Marisol saw Katie's face pale even more than she thought was possible.

Bianca's voice cut through the quiet of the room, "Told you."


	5. Tristan Milligan

Yoga mat tucked neatly under his arm, Tristan checked his watch to see how much time he had to reach Fab in the weight room. "Crap," he mumbled. He had spent too much time fixing his hair and changing into his sweet new Lulu Lemon top and bottoms which Tori and Maya had helped him pick out and now he only had half an hour to impress Fab.

Tristan jumped when the intruder alarm echoed through the hallway. He couldn't believe today of all days they had to have a drill. Where was he supposed to go? He did _not_ want to be caught skipping by Simpson who was probably already do his inspections to see if everybody was following procedure. He was halfway between the two boys washrooms on this side of the school so he decided on the one that was closer to the weight room and had a change or scenery from the one he had primped in beforehand.

He rounded a corner to find he wasn't the only one skipping and trying to find a place behind but he rolled his eyes when he saw who the other person was. Cam Saunders was standing in the middle of the hallway, panting as if he'd run here.

"If you're trying to find somewhere to hide from Mr. Simpson, there's a bathroom just past the computer lab," said Tristan, gaining Cam's attention. Tristan wasn't fond of Cam but he preferred him a lot to Bloodsucker Zig. He didn't think either guy was the one for Maya.

Cam turned his gaze to Tristan, his hands behind his back. "I'm not – I don't need a place to hide," he said, gasping slightly.

"Look, I know you're kind of new here but you should know that's the intruder bell, we did already have one of these drills in September," said Tristan, annoyed. He knew Cam was an Icehound but he didn't think he was a stupid one like his brother and his friend, Luke.

Tristan started to walk towards Cam in the direction of the boys' bathroom. "Whoa, what're you doing?" Cam said loudly.

Tristan pulled his head back in confusion, and replied "Uh… hiding, like I said earlier?" He noticed Cam's eyes looked pretty red, like he'd been crying. "You coming with me or not, Saunders?"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Cam pulled his hand from behind his back and Tristan yelped when he realized what the black thing in his hand was.

Tristan turned his back to Cam, fear spread through his whole body. He didn't know whether to run or say something and images of Cam's raging face flashed through his mind.

"You don't like me, do you?" Cam said menacingly then raised his voice, "DON'T THINK I SHOULD BE WITH MAYA, DO YOU?"

Tristan squeezed his eyes closed. He could feel tears flooding his face.

"WELL, DO YOU?"

He just shook his head. He heard a click, then a second one. Two bullets entered the back of Tristan's head. He collapsed to the ground. The yoga mat slipped away from his body and unrolled itself across the floor of Degrassi just as the intruder alarm stopped ringing.


	6. Mo Mashkour

"Whoa, man, did you hear that?" Mo looked to Jake, who was holding half a joint in one hand and crumpling a dead leaf in the other. The greenhouse, they had discovered, was great for smoking but Mo had decided he'd better not today; he had a big physics test later that day.

Jake swung his head dramatically towards Mo, "Yup, what do you think it was? Maybe Dawes realized we're skipping her class and called the FBI to find us. They're probably kicking down doors right now trying to track us down."

"Yea man, whatever you say," Mo replied unenthusiastically to his friend. They'd heard three of those bangs already and each time Jake came up with an even more unlikely story for them.

Mo reached into the mesh pocket of his laptop bag for his phone. There was two text messages: the first from Adam, who had an independent study this period and wanted Mo to think of an excuse he could use to get out of the Library and go to the music room, the second was from Marisol.

"Be safe," Mo breathed. "Hey Jake, Marisol is sitting with the other girls in her P.E. class. Apparently something's going down in the school and Armstrong seemed worried."

"Huh."

"You think it has anything to do with those noises we've been hearing?"

Mo looked at his friend but Jake didn't seem worried. He just brought his joint to his lips and raised an eyebrow back. Mo sighed and reread Marisol's text before hitting reply.

**MO: Don't worry about me, I'm in the greenhouse with Jake. **

**Anymore news? We've been hearing these loud noises. **

**You stay safe too.**

Standing up from his stool, Mo sauntered over to the wall of the greenhouse and hiked up the bottom of his t-shirt to rub the fog off of the glass panels. He peeked towards the school where nothing seemed out of place. It was a sunny day and the tulips and pansies that Jake and Katie had planted before spring break were blooming nicely.

His phone vibrated on the planter he had set it down on and her snatched it up to find a reply from his girlfriend.

**MARISOL: The intruder alarm went off in the school, stay where **

**you are! Armstrong hasn't come back but all the girls think **

**that the bangs were a gun. **

Mo's mouth fell open as he read Marisol's words. "Dude, Marisol thinks there's a gun in the school," he said.

That got Jake's attention and he dropped the last part of his joint, quickly stomping on it. "Whoa… are her and uh, Katie okay?"

"Yea, I think they're still hiding in the change room with the rest of their class," he replied.

Mo turned back to the phone in his hands, intending to send an 'I love you' back to Marisol but the distant sound of sirens heading towards the school made him pause. He shared a scared look with Jake and turned to stare out the defogged section of the glass that he'd cleared earlier. It was still a beautiful day outside.


	7. Eli Goldsworthy

Eli had run home quickly to grab some money to buy lunch in the Caf that afternoon. As he walked back into the lobby area of the school, he found it was perfectly silent. No one seemed to be skipping class and wandering the halls or even buying something to drink from the vending machines.

He walked in the direction of the locker he shared with Clare and shuffled through some papers in his shoulder bag. He had made up a sample election poster for her and since Cece had said she liked it, Eli figured it was worth showing Clare.

As he strolled around a corner, passing a boys' washroom, his ears tuned into the sound of sirens that sounded as if they were getting closer and closer to the school. He glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed the sounds but quickly remembered he seemed to be the only person loitering in the halls of Degrassi.

Eli looked back into his black bag as he rounded another corner. He pulled the sample poster from the corner only to drop it. In front of him was Tristan Milligan. The niner was laying flat on his stomach in the middle of the hall and blood surrounded his lifeless body.

Feeling vomit rise in his throat, Eli looked around the hallway and realized why there wasn't a soul to be found.

The sirens were blaringly loud now and he heard brakes squealing in the parking lot.

_Clare._ Where was she? He hoped she was safe in the computer lab. He wanted to run in her direction but he couldn't just leave Tristan. Could he? Eli wondered if he should hide but the police _were_ in the parking lot. They should be coming into the school any second.

Eli chanced another look at Tristan. The boy's arms were splayed out and a yoga mat beside him was stained a dark red. Then it hit him. The ninth grader was _dead_, actually dead. Tears welled in Eli's eyes.

He looked away only to catch sight of the poster he had made for his girlfriend. It had fallen into the pool of Tristan's blood and was soaking it up. Clare's picture smiled up at him gruesomely.

He had to find Clare. Why weren't the cops arriving? They should have entered to the school by now.

Eli looked at Tristan one last time before running passed him. He ran until he reached a corner and carefully peeked around it. When he found the hall deserted, he kept running. Eli ran all the way until he came to his locker. It was locked and when he opened it, he found that Clare's history notebook wasn't there. He hoped she was safe in the computer lab where she said she'd be.

Continuing his path to the lab, he took deep breaths. The bell signaling the start to second period chimed but students didn't flood into the halls. It stayed quiet. Eli noted that the police still hadn't come into the school.

Eli stopped running abruptly and choked back a sob. "Clare… no, no, no… Clare?"

Clare was unmoving in the center of the hallway by an open locker with a picture of Maya, a girl who was working as an extra in his still unnamed Zombie movie, stuck to the door.

He ran to his girlfriend and fell to his knees beside her. She had closed eyes and blood stained her peach blouse. Her hands were held over her stomach but hand gone limp. Tears ran down Eli's cheeks and he bit his bottom lip sharply before whispering, "Clare? C'mon Clare, open those blue eyes… Clare…"

He punched the ground and shouted, "Help! Anyone, please, HELP!"

Carefully, Eli reached for her chest and held his hand over her heart. It thumped weakly and his stomach lurched. He didn't know what to do and he was biting his lip so hard it started to bleed. Eli knew he shouldn't move her and he did not want to leave her side.

He slipped his Dead Hand t-shirt over his head and pushed it against her abdomen where blood flowed from her wound. "It's going to be okay Clare, I love you," he whispered, not believing his own words.


	8. Imogen Moreno

Squeezing her girlfriend's hand tightly, Imogen studied the other girls locked in the changing room with her. Most we silent, but a few speculated with their friends what was happening outside the walls that confined them in safety. Some, such as Katie Matlin, were very pale and looked terrified. Others were adamant that nothing was going on and that they should all really be getting to their next class.

Imogen looked down at her Converse. She didn't know what she believed. She was drawn from her haze only when Fiona knelt her head in the crook of Imogen's neck and shoulder. "Immy?" Fiona's voice sounded small. Imogen knew her girlfriend was scared. She had had a run in with guns a week earlier and still was a little on edge.

"Yes, Fions?" Imogen asked and gently leaned her head down on to the top Fiona's.

"I love you."

"Hey, we're going to be just fine, okay?" Imogen lifted her head and looked down at her girlfriend.

"Y-you're sure?" Fiona stuttered.

Imogen put a finger under Fiona's chin and lifted it. She looked into her girlfriend's teary eyes and replied, "Of course. We can get through anything together."

Fiona's lips turned up at the corners, just the slightest. Then Imogen watched a tear slip down her cheek and her mouth frown. "Who do you think those shots were aimed at?"

A few girls in the room looked over at the pair, overhearing Fiona's question. Imogen made eye contact with one girl who looked desperate for any answer Imogen could give. "Don't think about it… If you don't, it feels like nothings wrong." Imogen thought of her father. She had tried to ignore the signs for so long. His quirky behavior felt normal but when it got worse, it hit her all at once. It seemed like nothing was wrong until she had to say goodbye to Volta. "Trust me."

The room was stayed completely silent for a moment. Imogen picked at the lime green nail polish on her thumb. Once again, Fiona brought her from her thoughts. "Tell me a story."

Imogen was taken aback by her girlfriend's request but she knew Fiona was scared and she wasn't going to turn her down. "Okay," Imogen began, intertwining her fingers with Fiona's shaking ones. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl and her name was… Polly. Polly had a kitten named September; only she couldn't find September anywhere."

Imogen took a minute to think about where her story was going and when she looked up from her and Fiona's linked hands, she found that at least half the girls in the change room were looking at her, including Marisol and Katie, whom was looking a little more at ease.

Imogen gulped and then continued her story, "Polly searched under her mother's corduroy couches, in every kitchen cabinet, even in the big pot that her mother only used for cooking the turkey on thanksgiving. She looked behind all the books in her father's den; she used all her strength to move the big encyclopedias. Polly dug deep into the depths of her little brother's toy box, only to find a slice of Swiss cheese and a head from one of her Barbie dolls at the bottom.

"Polly wiped tears from her eyes and called for her little cat. She walked into the kitchen, intending to get a glass of milk. She looked down with teary eyes at the rips in her heart-patterned tights and when she looked up, a flicker caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Polly turned to find the two ears poking out from the sink. She ran to pick up her lost kitten from the kitchen sink and was greeted with a tiny, squeak of a meow."

Imogen mumbled, "The end." She looked up from her lap to find all of the girls in her P.E. class watching her. Imogen looked to her girlfriend for reassurance and Fiona gave her the smile she needed.

"Thanks Im."


	9. Adam Torres

"Okay, I've texted Becky, Eli, Clare and even Drew," Adam exclaimed, looking at Dave, "And I've only got a reply from Becky… Well, she said she's with Drew in the tutor center and they're both fine."

"I'm sure Eli and Clare are fine, man. They're probably reading poetry or making out in the drama room," Dave replied reassuringly.

Adam and all the other students in the library had been instructed to get under the tables that scattered the room. He was squished between Dave and Connor, who had Jenna on his other side. Adam was on an independent study period and had sat down with the other three the beginning of what was now last period.

"Maybe they got shot," stated Connor.

"Connor!" Jenna whispered harshly and promptly slapped him.

Adam looked at his feet. He was dying to stretch out his legs and was just about to when his phone vibrated in the pocket of his jeans.

**MOM: Adam, text me back ASAP when you get this!**

Dave leaned over to look at his phone, "Still not Eli or Clare?"

Adam shook his head and replied to his mom.

**ADAM: I'm fine. In the library and safe. **

**What's going on?**

"Does she know what's happening?" asked Dave, catching Jenna's attention.

"Who?" she whispered.

"My mom," offered Adam, just as his phone vibrated again.

**MOM: I'm in the parking lot. There's been shots fired in **

**the school and the police have to wait for back up **

**before entering.**

Adam's eyes widened as he read and reread his mom's words.

"Adam, what'd she say?" Dave asked anxiously, trying to look at the screen of Adam's phone.

"She… She said that there's a gun in the school and that there's definitely been gunshots and that the police – they can't do anything yet."

His three friends went quiet, taking in the news. Adam wished all of his friends were with him, safe in the library. At least he knew that his girlfriend was safe. And his brother. He knew Eli and Clare both had spares this morning. He thought that maybe Dave was right; they might have gone somewhere and not have come back if they heard about the shootings.

Adam typed a text to his mom.

**ADAM: Have you seen Eli or Clare, in the parking lot maybe?**

Her reply came almost immediately.

**MOM: Sorry honey, I haven't seen them. There are only a few **

**kids in the parking lot, ones who were already outside when the **

**alarm went off and are waiting for their parents. The **

**police have to secure the area before they can start **

**evacuating the school.**

"Securing the area… what does that mean?" Adam asked to no one in general, reading his mom's words aloud.

Dave peeked over Adam's shoulder to read the message before replying, "It means they have to make sure that there's only one gun in the school and that there's no more outside. They also…"

"Also what?" Adam whispered.

"Look, if they're going to evacuate students, they have to make sure we don't see any… any bodies or something…"

Adam looked away from Dave and shoved his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. He looked over at Connor and Jenna who were holding hands tightly. Then he looked out the window to a sunny sky.

His phone vibrated once more as more sirens came towards the school. Adam pulled his phone from his pocket.

**MOM: More police are arriving. You'll be out in no time.**


	10. Becky Baker

Becky sat atop one of the five tables in the tutor center. The room had no windows and only one door, which Drew had locked after recognizing the sound of the first gunshot. Becky was in the middle of asking Alli to sign her up as a tutor for English and Geography for younger students when the whole thing had happened.

"When do you think all this is going to end?" mumbled Dallas.

Everyone's heads turned towards the captain of the Toronto Icehounds. The room had been completely silent since the intruder bell had gone off.

"I-it shouldn't be t-too long now," whispered Alli, "there's been sirens for at least 20 minutes now."

Becky nodded in agreement. She had been in contact with her brother and Adam, along with both her parents. She wanted to call each of them to hear their voices but keeping as quiet as possible was a major part of the intruder alert procedure.

Alli sniffled and Becky turned to see two tears falling down her face. She got up to go sit with Alli in the far corner of the room, slipping her arms around the crying girl to give her a hug. "Hey," Becky whispered to her, "everything's going to be okay."

Alli wiped one of the tears away and asked, "How do you know?"

"I have faith," Becky stated.

Becky studied the three boys in the room. Dallas wore his red Icehound hoodie, the same one her brother had. He looked not quite scared and almost restless. Drew Torres stared down at his phone; he had been texting Bianca nonstop since the alarm went off. He looked pretty calm and he must be, knowing that his fiancée and brother were safe. Finally, Becky turned her gaze to a niner named Zig from Adam's band. He looked anxious. Becky wasn't really sure who his friends were, other than Maya Matlin who was also in WhisperHug. All three boys were silent.

Becky's phone dinged in the pocket of her cardigan. She unwrapped one of her arms from Alli and pulled it out to read the new message.

**LUKE: It's been quiet so me and Owen are gunna leave **

**the school.**

Becky typed back her response as fast as she could.

**BECKY: Don't you dare! Stay where you are! It isn't safe yet!**

She couldn't believe her brother. He was so dense. She clutched the cross around her neck with her free hand. She prayed that Luke would make the right decision and that he would be protected if he made a bad one.

"Are you alright?" Alli asked, "Your hand is shaking."

Becky looked down to find her hand had gone pale and was indeed shaking as it clutched the charm on her necklace. "Yea, I think so."

Alli let out a slow breath and furled her eyebrows. She pulled out her phone and texted somebody. Becky had noticed Alli had sent way more messages than she received back. "Are you okay?" she asked Alli.

"Yea… Just C-Clare isn't replying," Alli said quietly.

"Do you want me to text Adam and see if he's heard anything?" Becky offered. She knew that Clare was one of Adam's best friends.

"Please."

**BECKY: Have you heard from Clare? I'm with Alli and **

**she's really worried.**

**ADAM: I haven't heard from her either.**

Becky read her boyfriend's reply and then told Alli the news, "He hasn't heard from her either."

"I hope she's okay…" Alli whispered, another tear ran down her cheek.

Becky was about to console her when another gunshot rang out. Becky's hand whipped to her little gold cross and squeezed it tightly, closing her eyes.


	11. Luke Baker

"Fuck," Owen yelled, his hand shot to his opposite shoulder.

Luke had just walked around the corner, he had stopped to tie his shoe and had fallen a bit behind his friend. He stopped as soon as he saw the blood dripping from Owen's shoulder and hitting the floor.

Afraid to look up, Luke's eyes slowly scanned the floor until they fell upon a pair of worn sneakers. They trailed up the pair of jeans to a green hoodie and then recognized the face of Cam Saunders.

"Rookie?" Luke whispered.

"Shut up," Cam retorted, holding a gun at his side.

Luke snuck a glance at Owen, who was biting his lip in pain. He looked back to Cam, whose eyes were sad but looked a lot angrier. "Saunders, what're you thinking?" Luke asked.

"Do you know where Zig is?" Cam asked, sounding desperate and ignoring Luke's question.

Luke's eyes widened as he realized what was going on. Cam was the intruder. He'd let off the three shots before now. Who knew what or whom they had been aimed at?

"Look man, I don't know who Zig is but you have to stop what you're doing," Luke said, not letting his voice falter.

"I said, SHUT UP!" Cam began to yell. He started to lift his gun but Luke realized what was going to happen.

"Whoa, whoa, Cam!"

"WHAT?"

"I – YOU…" He looked to Owen, who was tapping his free hand on the side of his jeans, as if to get his attention. Luke looked back to Cam slowly; he was staring at his hand that was gripped around the gun. Luke's eyes went back to Owen's hand, which was now holding up three fingers. Luke understood immediately. Luke looked back to Cam, trying not to be suspicious. He gave a slight nod to Owen and watched his fingers from the corner of his eye. Soon Owen held only two up, then one.

Luke began to charge the youngest player of the Icehounds with Owen at his side, still keeping a hand over his bullet wound. They collided with Cam and sent him to the floor. His gun skidded across the hall. Luke was holding Cam down and expected Owen to grab the gun but when he looked over, Owen was on his hands and knees, silently screaming in pain.

Suddenly, a sharp pain lurched in Luke's groin. Cam has swung his foot and kicked him. Luke doubled over and Cam wriggled free. He tripped over to his handgun and scooped it up off the hallway floor.

"Cam, no!" Luke started to say as soon as Cam began lifting his gun again. "Cam, stop, look what you're doing, man."

Cam raised the gun and Luke stood up in a last effort to stop the younger boy. He started to take a step towards him when Cam pulled the trigger. Luke collapsed and was afraid to clutch his knee where the bullet had entered. He moaned in pain and his eyes filled with water. Luke watched a blurry Cam run down the hallway towards the learning wing.


	12. Jenna Middleton

Jenna squeezed her boyfriend's hand and hid her face in his shoulder. She felt tears pricking her eyes after the last gunshot went off.

"I wonder who that was aimed at," mumbled Connor. Jenna felt him jerk against her as Adam elbowed him on the other side.

"You're not helping, Connor," whispered Jenna. Her tears were full of eyeliner when she wiped them away.

"You should buy waterproof make-up," stated Connor. Jenna rolled her eyes at him and he seemed to figure out what he said was wrong when he slung his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"Dave, can't you just text your dad and see when this is all going to be over?" Jenna asked desperately. "I don't think I can take this much longer."

Dave sighed and said, "I wish I could but he can't reply to me when he's on duty."

"How about we just make a list of where all our friends are?" Jenna suggested, "It might make us feel better." She looked at her three friends, all crouched under the library table and they shrugged, there was nothing better to do. "Okay, I'll start, Alli's _safe_ in the tutor center."

Jenna looked to Connor and nodded. He continued the game by saying, "Dave is in the library with me."

"Aw, thanks man," Dave said, reaching across Adam who looked irritated when Dave accidently bumped his nose, and patted Connor's shoulder.

Jenna looked appalled, and asked, "You said Dave _before_ you said me?"

"You said friends, not girlfriends," Connor muttered, sounding confused, "besides you said Alli before me."

Jenna rolled her eyes and looked at Adam. "Your turn."

"Alright, Becky is also in the tutor center, safe and sound." His shoulders fell and Jenna thought he looked less tense, maybe her game was working.

"Fiona is in the girls' change room and is safe," offered Dave, not waiting for Jenna to prompt him to take his turn.

"Fiona?" Jenna asked, confused.

"We work together," answered Dave.

Jenna nodded and started to continue but she quickly realized that Adam had already said Becky and her next person was Clare. "Nobody knows where Clare is… or if she's safe," she whispered.

"Or Eli," stated Adam, "He was my next choice."

All four looked away from one another. Jenna leaned her head against Connor's shoulder and twirled one of her blonde waves around her pinky. She used to do this when she was a kid after her mom had tucked her into bed and she was afraid of the dark. She always regretted it the next morning when her mother was brushing her hair before preschool and it was so knotted that it felt like her mom was ripping the hair from her head.

Tears brimmed her eyelids. She'd rather feel the pain of her hairbrush than the pain of not knowing whom she could lose today.


	13. Owen Milligan

Helping to support his friend with one hand, while using the other to cover his bullet wound with the other, Owen hobbled out an emergency exit of the school. Luke groaned in pain as the two stepped down from the doorway onto the cement parking lot behind the school.

They were immediately surrounded by police officers in crisp, blue uniforms. They were ordered to put there hands in the air which both Luke and Owen half-obeyed, cringing as they did so. One officer cleared them of weapons and Owen felt two officers take hold of him, separating him form Owen, and quickly whisked him towards a squad of police cars with their lights flashing.

"An ambulance is on its way, son," an officer said to him, removing his hat and standing next to him. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Owen shook his head and looked towards Luke. He was being treated by a female officer and probably being asked the same questions that were coming Owen's way.

"What's your name?" The cop asked, clicking a pen and resting it against a metal clip board.

"Owen Milligan"

"Do you know the name of the person with the gun who fired at you?"

Owen closed his eyes, he almost didn't want to rat on the rookie. He took a deep breath and muttered, "Cam… Campbell Saunders."

The policeman quickly scrawled across his loose leaf paper. "Do you know if there's more than one gunman in the vicinity?"

"No…" Owen thought. "I think it's only him. He's a messed up kid. Always trying to hurt himself."

A needle of pain shot through his shoulder, making Owen clench his teeth. He heard the wail of ambulances approaching. Three of the emergency vehicles turned a corner and rushed into the parking lot.

"One more question before I let you get loaded up," the officer said, breaking Owen's focus. "Did you see anyone else in the school that has been harmed?"

Owen shook his head. For the first time he thought about his little brother, he was certain that Tris was somewhere safe. He wasn't like his big brother; Tristan was smart and a good student. He would be somewhere safe with a friend or two.

A pair of paramedics approached Owen with gauze and tools he didn't know the names of. They helped him into the ambulance and started him on an IV. It hurt, and he had a little more respect for what Tristan went through after his heart attack. He hoped his little brother was okay.

"Do you still feel pain in your shoulder or has it gone numb?" asked a man, while he checked Owen's pulse.

He mumbled back, "It's… numb, I think." Owen watched as the two paramedics in the back with him handed each other things and muttered medical terms such as ballistic trauma and tissue disruption. He wanted to talk about things he understood.

"M-my brother's inside Degrassi," he blurted out.

The man continued to stare at his shoulder, and he felt more pressure being put on it. However, the woman replied, "I'm sure he's fine. The police were nearly ready to enter the school."

Owen gasped as he felt a needle prick his waist. "What grade are you in, Owen?"

"Twelve," he answered, cringing in pain. "I don't think I'm numb anymore."

He felt his heart start to speed up and the spot where the bullet had entered his shoulder felt like it had caught fire. He bit his bottom lip until he tasted blood on his tongue. The last thing he saw was a look of worry on the woman paramedic's face as she said, "Hypovolemic shock."


	14. Fiona Coyne

**DECLAN: FIONA! Text me back right away!**

Fiona pulled her phone from the pocket of her blazer and scanned the words from her brother. She quickly messaged him back that she was okay but still inside the school waiting for news. The last time the school had been put under lockdown was when some kid had brought a knife to school two years ago and had pulled it on Eli. She hadn't been in Toronto for that fiasco but Holly J. had told her all about it. That and that she had been caught giving Sav Bhandari a lapse dance by the police.

Fiona turned to her girlfriend and whispered, "They know about the lockdown in New York."

Imogen's eyes widened and she whispered back, "Your mom?"

"No, my brother."

Just as Imogen had nodded and looked away, another shot went off. All the girls in the room jumped and Fiona let out a whimper. She tried to squeeze Imogen's hand but she had already been holding it as hard as she could.

Fiona noticed that Imogen was watching her with pursed lips. Fiona turned to her and asked, "W-what?"

"What can I do to help you calm down?" Imogen questioned her, looking thoughtful.

Fiona closed her eyes and said, "Just… just talk to me." She thought about the sessions she had with her therapist and how they usually calmed her down.

All of a sudden, Imogen let go of her had and Fiona opened her eyes to find her climbing up onto the bench to stand and gaining the whole PE class's attention. "Alright ladies, I have an idea!" she said in a loud whisper. "I have an idea! Well, Fiona had an idea. I think we should all share a good memory. I think it'll lighten the mood."

Fiona watched the girls' reactions to Imogen's announcement. Marisol rolled her eyes and whispered back, "How are we supposed to lighten the mood when our friends could be getting hurt… or worse?"

Bianca rolled her eyes and stood up, "Whatever, I'm in." She looked expectantly at the other girls in the class and gained come nods.

Imogen smiled reassuringly at Fiona and said, "Why don't you go first, Fions?"

Fiona nodded with a gulp and started, "It was December, me and Declan had just turned five and had our last day of kindergarten before Christmas break started." She stopped and looked around the room. Most girls were listening but Marisol looked like she was annoyed. One girl was trying to muffle her tears. Imogen nodded for her to continue.

"My dad actually had the day off work… so Declan asked him if we could cut down a Christmas tree. We'd never actually had the chance to have a real tree before." Fiona closed her eyes to visualize the day better and continued, "My mom put hot chocolate in portable mugs and we trudged through the snow in Geneva. Declan and I raced to find the perfect tree. He ended up picking the final tree... But, I don't know, my life just felt really, truly, normal that day."

She felt Imogen peck her cheek and she opened her eyes.

Imogen cleared her throat and asked the room, "Okay, who wants to go next?"

In the far corner of the room, Marisol spoke up, "I-I will…"

Imogen smiled at her somewhat enemy and nodded for her to start but just as the girl opened her mouth to begin her story, another shot echoed through the school.

* * *

I tried not to do it like this but this chapter takes place during the same time as Owen and Luke's, so the shots heard in this belonged to them.


End file.
